Route 66 commission representatives briefed the council on centennial activities and near‑term allocations to prepare for the 2026 commemoration of the highway.

Commissioners and staff said $200,000 in ARPA beautification funds had been allocated: roughly $100,000 toward public‑works tasks (street sweeping and tree planting) and roughly $100,000 toward streetscape and public‑art items. The projects described include two biweekly citywide street‑sweeping cycles along the route corridor, planting and pruning approximately 100 trees and stump grindings, and the procurement and installation of artist wraps for traffic‑control boxes at multiple locations along the route. Staff estimated the traffic‑box wrap procurement and installation could take two to three months to select artists, contract and install.

The commission also outlined funding for historic markers: staff proposed approximately $48,676 to $50,000 to add 8–12 new interpretive markers highlighting untold stories along the corridor. Upgrades to security cameras and footage storage at Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza were included to address recurring vandalism and to secure the site ahead of centennial events.

Separately, the commission outlined a Centennial cruise event that the commission intends to fund with commission reserves and additional Route 66 program funds; staff described the cruise as a major centennial activation and said they expected the event to generate significant tourism and media attention. A related mural program — funded with Vision Tulsa monies (roughly $100,000) — will place a dozen murals in locations across the city with a concentration in east‑side neighborhoods.

Councilors asked about timing, logistics and whether the city would coordinate with local hoteliers and the tourism community. Staff said a separate conversation about tourism funding and possible hotel‑motel tax timing would be held, and city legal staff later outlined calendar‑quarter constraints on the effective date for a hotel‑motel excise tax if the council chooses to place it on a ballot.